'Orient Express' a heck of a ride thanks to Brannagh

Johnny Depp appears in a scene from Murder on the Orient Express, which opens today.
AP/TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

Although the fact that we have a new big-screen adaptation of famed Agatha Christie murder-mystery novel "Murder on the Orient Express" is credited largely to two producers in the press notes for the film, it feels like a passion project for Kenneth Branagh.

The actor-director helms the film, infusing the story with a high level of emotion to complement all of Christie's suspects and clues, and stars in its central role, that of renowned detective Hercule Poirot. Branagh sleuths and mustaches across the screen with what appears to be great joy, never ceasing to entertain.

Branagh is the biggest reason this "Murder on the Orient Express" is such an enjoyable movie-going experience.

He certainly doesn't have to carry the load alone, however. Like the acclaimed Sydney Lumet-directed 1974 version, this one boasts an incredible cast. Sharing the screen with Branagh are, among others, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Josh Gadd, Willem Dafoe, Penelope Cruz and, in her first notable role since 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," Daisy Ridley.

In fact, there are too many characters to go into great detail about all the players, almost all of whom become murder suspects about a third of the way into the film.

It begins, though, in Jerusalem in 1934, where we meet the picky Poirot, hopeful he is about to be served the perfect egg for breakfast. (He isn't.) Next, it's on to business, Poirot solving a case, pinning a theft on the police inspector who asked him to consult on the case -- a choice, our hero states, the man now no doubt regrets.

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These opening minutes establish Poirot as a man who finds it rather impossible not to notice imbalances and imperfections, a trait that aids greatly in his work.

"I can only see the world as it should be," he states.

Needed in England, the detective soon arranges passage aboard the glorious train the Orient Express, which will carry him from Istanbul through the Dinaric Alps in the former Yugoslavia to Italy.

In his cabin, he find's Gadd's Hector MacQueen, who doesn't seem pleased that they will be, as Poirot puts it, "bunkies."

During the early part of the journey, the passengers appear to be sizing up one another. Poirot certainly is watching them -- and that's before one of them ends up fatally stabbed.

A friend of Poirot who arranged for him to be on the train asks him to solve the murder, and the detective agrees. His subsequent examination of the body yields more questions than answers, thanks to contradictory evidence found on and around the corpse.

Things are not initially any clearer as Poirot goes about interviewing the passengers, one of whom almost surely must be the killer. Over the course of his investigation, it becomes increasingly apparent no one is exactly what he or she seems, and connections among them begin to come into view for the sharp-eyed sleuth, who has no trouble stating he is the world's best.

This "Murder on the Orient Express" probably will be best enjoyed if you've not read the novel or seen previous adaptations, which also include a 2001 made-for-TV movie. It is a finely crafted whodunit by the late author, one harder to solve than some recent big-screen mysteries.

Still, this film should offer enough even if you do know the story, starting with the performances, which are, across the board, pretty strong. Along with Branagh -- who's just terrific -- Defoe and Gadd stand out in their scenes opposite him. An early scene between Branagh and Depp, during which their characters share a slice of cake and, ultimately, is a good bit of distaste for one another, is quite tasty, as well. And, yes, Ridley holds her own in a couple of scenes with Branagh, her character not at all appreciating some of the insinuations made by him.

Even a simple viewing of a trailer for the 1974 trailer shows that Branagh, as the director, is bringing a different tone to the proceedings than Lumet did, which is to be commended.

Branagh has a great ally in director of photography Haris Zambarloukos ("Cinderella"), who employs numerous terrific camera movements, including an elaborate tracking shot in the train station before the Orient Express departs, and an overhead shot that boosts a scene where Poirot breaks into the cabin of the murdered passenger.

Overall, the film looks wonderful, save, perhaps, for some of the exterior shots of the train as it traverses a mountainous course where it is derailed by an avalanche. We could be wrong, but these shots appear to make use of more computer-generated effects than you'd hope to see in a film like this one.

Still, there is so much to appreciate about "Murder on the Orient Express." You really should consider booking passage for this ride.

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